Teaching kids how to use AI responsibly

Are you worried your teen is spending more time with a chatbot than with real friends? On this episode, we spoke with child/adolescent psychiatrists Dr. Jeremy Chapman and Dr. Ashvin Sood to learn how AI shows up in teens’ social lives and schoolwork, and how parents can respond with clarity instead of panic. Together we map out a simple framework: curiosity first, judgment last, and functionality as the North Star for family decisions. We explored why adolescence depends on honest, sometimes uncomfortable feedback — the kind you don’t get when a bot always agrees. You’ll hear practical ways to ask better questions about prompts, privacy, and purpose: "What do you ask your chatbot?""How does it make you feel afterward?""Did it help you prepare for a real conversation, or replace one?"Both clinicians outlined red flags of AI overuse (falling grades, dropped activities, hostility when access is limited, and late‑night screen time pushing sleep off a cliff) and they offer calm, early interventions that will rebuild routines without power struggles. We also got specific about safety in a world where parental controls lag behind fast‑moving features. You’ll learn why young people should avoid using AI for companionship, how to set clear boundaries on data-sharing, and how to implement reasonable guardrails like teaching teens to verify information and keep real relationships at the center. By the end of the episode, you’ll have conversation scripts, monitoring cues, and a balanced mindset to make AI a helpful coach rather than a stand‑in for human connection. aiEDU: The AI Education Project aiEDU.org linkedin.com/company/aiedu/

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